Williston teacher faces more sex abuse of students allegations

WILLISTON, N.D. -- A teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School in Williston who was arrested last month and charged with molesting three young girls has been accused of doing similar things to two more girls.Everest Moore, 28, was charged Thursday wi...

Written By:
Jamie Kelly / Williston Herald |
Apr 12th 2018 - 6pm.

Everest Moore (Submitted photo)

WILLISTON, N.D. -- A teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School in Williston who was arrested last month and charged with molesting three young girls has been accused of doing similar things to two more girls.

Everest Moore, 28, was charged Thursday with two class A felony counts of gross sexual imposition. The new charges allege Moore had sexual contact with two girls younger than 15 between August and February.

Investigators at the Williston Police Department started investigating Moore in mid February when someone who is legally mandated to report suspected sexual assault or child abuse told them of the allegations, police said.

At a bond hearing Thursday, Nathan Madden, assistant state’s attorney for Williams County, asked Northwest District Judge Paul Jacobson to set Moore’s bond in this case at $50,000, in addition to the $50,000 he posted in the previous case.

As part of the conditions of his release on bond, Moore was ordered to have no contact with St. Joseph Catholic Church or the school. Madden said that Jeff Nehring, Moore’s attorney, had reached out to both the state’s attorney’s office and the church to see if there was a way for Moore to attend Mass at another church in the parish.

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“I have concerns about why he’d want to do that given the nature of the charges,” Madden said.

Nehring, however, said Moore is a devout Catholic and that his actions show he is abiding by the terms of his bond. He asked Jacobson to allow the $50,000 Moore previously posted to cover the new charges.

Moore has strong ties to the community, Nehring said, and he has maintained his innocence.

“When we learned of the new charges, Mr. Moore turned himself in,” Nehring said.

Jacobson said he thought it would be appropriate to increase Moore’s bond because of the two new class A felony charges. He set bond at $70,000 for both cases, so Moore will have to post an additional $20,000 to be released.

Moore has taught at St. Joseph for five years, according to Nehring. He was also an assistant coach for the Williston High School football team and had been head coach for the Williston Middle School Track and Field team, but did not have a contract for this season, according to Williston Public School District No. 1.

Moore has been licensed as a teacher in North Dakota since 2013, and his current license, which was issued in 2016, is good through 2022, according to the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board. He graduated from the University of Mary with a degree in physical education.

Moore has a preliminary hearing on the first three charges scheduled for April 26 and on the two latest charges on May 10.